This may be a silly question but we will be staying at bc in September. My question is we will be traveling with a 21 month old and a 7 month old. Now do they have to wear their Magic bands to get into SAB ? Or can I wear or on backpack? Or is it to leave behind? I'm just kinda worried the older will take off and lose it at some point on trip. It obviously has no ticket connected but this is the only place I kinda thought I may really need it. Any experience?
Hopefully the following reply will further assist you and other guests at Stormalong Bay!
Everyone, including little children, needs to have a magic band
to gain entry into the Stormalong Bay pool complex. For the little ones you MUST present their bands for scanning EVERY time you enter the pool area. This would include moving from the kiddie area with the kiddie pool at the base of the GIANT slide steps back to the main pool again. Unfortunately the entry points to StormAlong Bay are not on this map but I think there are two on the Epcot walking path and two on the Resort building side.
So the upshot is that the little ones don't have to wear their bands but you need to have them to present for scanning.
I'd also like to point out that
there are lockers at the pool if you need a place to stash your valuables. See page one for details on that.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/20...-2014-mayl-2015.3326031/page-61#post-52505403
Also for those of you with children it's important for you to be come familiar with the pool complex so that you the PARENT can decide where you will be hanging out and where you will swim. There are
children's life jackets available for free use at the pools.
These are first come, first served so their availability is NOT guarenteed.
Please refer to this map which is labeled with the different areas of the pool:
[GALLERY=]
[/GALLERY]
Notice on the bottom half of this picture on the
lower right corner there is a little kiddie pool with a kiddie slide.
This is also located at the base of the steps to the LARGE slide (Flying Jib Slide start on the map) which exits into the slide exit area of the main pool next to the bubbling bay on the right side of the pool map.
In this kiddie slide area there is a kiddie friendly pool, chairs and an exit to the beach area. There is a
fence around this pool so you pretty much only have one area of entry or exit. There is also a foot shower located between the entrance to this kiddie pool and the beach.
The stairs to the giant slide are completely separate from the kiddie pool area so you would have to leave the kiddie pool and walk around to get to the stairs entrance.
Now we shall look over at the Left side of the pool map and see the
Kiddie Pool area with the sandbar.
IF you are leaving the KIDDIE SLIDE area to get to the SAND BAR area you will have to scan your magic bands to get back into the main pool complex that contains this sandbar area as well as the rest of the pool complex.
This SAND BAR kiddie pool area is a separate pool. You can walk over to the LAZY RIVER without having to scan your magic band. You would have to walk across the cement path to get to the Lazy RIVER which is 6 foot PLUS deep in some areas. The good news is that there are rocks around the SAND BAR pool channeling people to exit the sand bar pool in controlled areas so that they can get over to the lazy river. This makes it easier for parents to prevent "Jail Breaks" from toddlers and Pre-schoolers that, much like Ninja Mom, are always looking for trouble.
This SAND BAR area is shallow and sandy, much like a beach. If you bring sand toys you may find that your children will never ever want to leave this area.... and I mean NEVER. In fact Ninja Mom herself was dragged off by NateBenMa when it was time to leave this area. I still have tear stains on my old lady bathing suit from that sad, sad day.
As far as pool toys are concerned you can bring Pool Noodles or possibly purchase them somewhere on property (I'm not sure where). There are a bunch of green buckets with little shovels hanging around unattended in this SAND BAR pool area but those are first come first served. Consider buying something like this and throwing it in your suitcase and all your pool entertainment troubles are over:
Even if you just brought a some little boats or a dump truck you would win Mom/Dad of the year in your child's eyes.
If we refer back to the map we will notice that there are 4 main pool areas.
1) the tiny fenced in KIDDIE SLIDE area which is separated from the main pool complex. This is also where the stairs leading to the top of the giant pool slide are located. ~Remember that the Kiddie Slide area and the stairs to the Giant Slide ARE NOT CONNECTED.
In the main pool complex, which is fenced in and you have to scan your magic band to gain entry, you have the:
2) SAND BAR KIDDIE Pool area which is separated by a cement path from the:
3) DEEP LAZY RIVER which is separated by a cement path from the:
4) BIG LONG REST OF THE POOL AREA that has the Sinking Sands area and the hot tub area (and Bubbling ~Not so much anymore~ Bay, the whirling waters and the Giant Slide exit). The thing to note about this area is
that bridge that separates the Hot tub area from the sinking sands area GOES OVER the WATER so those pools are barrier free when you are IN THE WATER and moving from one side of the bridge to the other.
The Pool games led by the recreation staff also occur in the Sinking Sands area. There really isn't much sinking in this area so the name "Sinking" sands is a misnomer.
Since this is the Dis Boards and someone
HAS to
COMPLAIN I shall note that one woman reported that her pedicure was COMPLETELY ruined by the sand at the bottom of the pool. Many other women have been in Stormalong Bay WITHOUT devastation to their pedicures so I can only imagine how long her toe talons must have been to wrought such physical destruction. In any case if your pedicure is your reason for living you might want to invest in a pair of pool shoes or perhaps 10 extra strong Bandaids to protect your pedicure with. If that is too much effort for you please consider walking on your hands the entire time you are in the pool, that way you will only ruin your hairdoo.
So that pretty much wraps up Ninja Mom's recap of the parent's guide to Stormalong Bay. It's important to remember that Stormalong Bay is not one of those Disney pools where parents can dump their kids and expect the lifeguards to do all the babysitting. Believe it or not there are some people on the Dis Boards who think it's wrong that they HAVE to supervise their own kids when they are at the pool.
Ninja Mom is just providing a map so that you can see all the different areas of the pool complex and you can better understand how this pool is different from the typical Disney "Cement Pond" that you usually find at many other Disney resorts. By understanding where all the areas are and what they have to offer, You the PARENT can decide where you are going to swim with your children.
If you have different ages of children with different interests then Ninja Mom simply recommends that the entire family ~Takes Turns~ at different areas of the pool, just like you would do in real life. If that doesn't work for you then I can't help you and maybe the Quiet Pool is the best choice for your family. However, Ninja Mom has every confidence that you ARE reasonable and YOU can find a way to best enjoy Stormalong Bay with your family!
~NM
to this thread! 
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